[Rubella epidemic in Piemonte in 1977: assay of specific antibodies in the umbilical cord blood and clinical follow-up (author's transl)].

Following a rubella epidemic in 1977; 1,133 samples of umbilical cord blood and 532 samples of maternal blood were assayed for specific anti-rubella haemoagglutino-inhibiting antibodies and IgM. Clinical follow-up failed to show either any increase in number of malformations and of IgM values in the malformed, or variations of mean weight and of the number of small-for-date infants. In none out of 1.031 newborns the virus was isolated from the pharynx, urine and faeces. The Authors conclude that the epidemic may have been caused by a poorly virulent virus and/or the mothers were possibly already immunized by previous infections.